LIBERIA

Republic of Liberia

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

LOCATION AND SIZE.

Liberia is situated on the West African coast, bordered by Sierra Leone
to the northwest, Guinea to the north, and the Côte d'Ivoire
to the east. Liberia also has 300 kilometers (186 miles) of coastline on
the Atlantic Ocean. Its land area is 111,370 square kilometers (43,000
square miles). The capital, Monrovia, is on the Atlantic coast.

POPULATION.

Liberia's population was estimated at 3,255,837 in July of 2001,
and in normal circumstances the country has had a high population growth
rate of 3.3 percent (1980-87). However, the most recent estimate puts
the figure at 2.3 percent for 1990-96 and just 1.92 percent for 2001, as
war has lowered the birth rate and raised the mortality rate. An
estimated 5 percent of the population died in the civil war of 1989-96.

Even before the war, the urban population was high at 40 percent, but
during the conflict it rose to 46 percent, as people sought refuge in
the towns. In early 1995, the capital's population stood at 1.3
million, a tripling of its size compared with 1986.

During the war about 1 million Liberians fled abroad, some of whom
returned during the lulls in fighting, often to flee again as violence
intensified in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Since the end of the war, further
tensions have meant the refugees in neighboring countries have been
reluctant to return, and an outflow has continued. In 1997, with
international help, the government began resettling refugees.

The vast majority—95 percent—of Liberia's people
are members of indigenous African tribes, with descendants of U.S.
immigrants and Congolese both making up 2.5 percent of the population.
Forty percent of the people practice indigenous religious beliefs, 40
percent are Christians, and 20 percent are Muslims.

CAPITAL:

Monrovia.

MONETARY UNIT:

Liberian dollar (L$). One dollar equals 100 cents. The dollar is
equivalent to the U.S. dollar. There are coins of 5, 10, 25, and 50
cents and 1 and 5 dollars. No Liberian notes are in circulation, and
U.S. notes are used as the paper currency.